Batley Grammar School is a state-funded

co-educational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...

free school in

Batley Batley is a market town in the Kirklees district, in West Yorkshire, England, south-west of Leeds, north-west of Wakefield and Dewsbury, south-east of Bradford and north-east of Huddersfield, in the Heavy Woollen District. In 2011, the popu ...

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a Metropolitan counties of England, metropolitan and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and east, South Yorkshire and De ...

, England, for pupils aged 4 to 16.

History

The school was founded in 1612 by the Rev. William Lee. An annual founder's day service is held in his memory at Batley Parish Church, as requested in his will, although it is not held on the date originally specified. In 1878, the school moved to its current site at Carlinghow Hill, Upper Batley. The school selected boys on their performance in the

eleven-plus The eleven-plus (11+) is a standardised examination administered to some students in England and Northern Ireland in their last year of primary education, which governs admission to grammar schools and other secondary schools which use academi ...

exams, regardless of family background. Following the introduction of comprehensive schools, the school became a private school in 1978 and entry became restricted to boys whose parents could afford its fees. The school introduced girls into the sixth form in 1988 and became co-educational in 1996. In 2011, it became a state-funded free school. The following year, it celebrated its quatercentenary. A junior school, Priestley House (after

Joseph Priestley Joseph Priestley (; 24 March 1733 – 6 February 1804) was an English chemist, Unitarian, Natural philosophy, natural philosopher, English Separatist, separatist theologian, Linguist, grammarian, multi-subject educator and Classical libera ...

, an old Batelian) is set in the grounds. The school has had several Royal visits; the Royal family lands on its playing fields when visiting the area. Prince Andrew has visited the school, as has Princess

Anne Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female name Anna (name), Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah (given name), Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie (given name), Annie a ...

. On 25 March 2021, a teacher was suspended after a cartoon of

Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...

was shown in class during a discussion about press freedom and religious extremism, which sparked protests outside the school, demanding the resignation of the teacher involved, and a 61,000 signature petition of support. Gary Kibble, the former head of Batley Grammar has offered an apology. Commenting on the situation, Communities Secretary, Robert Jenrick, said teachers should be able to "appropriately show images of the prophet" in class and the protests are "deeply unsettling" due to the UK being a "free society". He added teachers should "not be threatened" by religious extremists. The trust conducted an investigation, concluding in May 2021, that in respect for the community, images of Muhammad should not be used, and lifted the teacher's suspension. The Khan Review, published in March 2024, criticized the responses of Batley Grammar School, West Yorkshire Police, and Kirklees Council, stating that the teacher was "totally and utterly failed" by these institutions. The review highlighted that the teacher was not treated as a victim of crime and did not receive adequate support, leading to feelings of abandonment and suicidal thoughts. However, as of April 2025, the teacher continues to live in fear, with limited public support and no clear resolution in sight.

Notable Old Batelians

Former pupils of the school are referred to as Old Batelians. * Ismail Dawood, former British county cricketer * Richard Dawson, former English county cricketer *Andrew Firth, Michael Brooke and Ben Davies, members of indie-pop band The Dandys * Tim Fountain, Writer * Lee Goddard, former English County Cricketer * Cecil Grayson (1920–1998), Serena Professor of Italian,

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

, 1958–1988 *Sir Herbert Holdsworth, 1890–1949, Liberal and later Liberal National MP * Benjamin Ingham (1712–1772),

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

and Moravian evangelist and preacher * Godfrey Lienhardt (1921–1993),

anthropologist An anthropologist is a scientist engaged in the practice of anthropology. Anthropologists study aspects of humans within past and present societies. Social anthropology, cultural anthropology and philosophical anthropology study the norms, values ...

* Andrew Milner, Professor of English and Comparative Literature,

Monash University Monash University () is a public university, public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia. Named after World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the ...

* Sir Mark Oldroyd (1843–1927),

wool Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have some properties similar to animal w ...

len manufacturer, politician and philanthropist * David Peace, Author * Richard Pearson, former English county cricketer *

(1733–1804),

theologian Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of ...

natural philosopher Natural philosophy or philosophy of nature (from Latin ''philosophia naturalis'') is the philosophical study of physics, that is, nature and the physical universe, while ignoring any supernatural influence. It was dominant before the developme ...

, and discoverer of

oxygen Oxygen is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group (periodic table), group in the periodic table, a highly reactivity (chemistry), reactive nonmetal (chemistry), non ...

* Richard Reed, co-founder of innocent Drinks * Georgia Roche, England international Rugby league footballer * Sir Owen Willans Richardson (1879–1959), Professor of

Physics Physics is the scientific study of matter, its Elementary particle, fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge whi ...

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

, 1906–1914, Wheatstone Professor of Physics,

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public university, public research university in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV ...

, 1914–1924, and Yarrow Research Professor,

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

, 1924–1959,

Nobel Prize in Physics The Nobel Prize in Physics () is an annual award given by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences for those who have made the most outstanding contributions to mankind in the field of physics. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the ...

(1928) * Sir Titus Salt (1803–1876),

textile Textile is an Hyponymy and hypernymy, umbrella term that includes various Fiber, fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, Staple (textiles)#Filament fiber, filaments, Thread (yarn), threads, and different types of #Fabric, fabric. ...

manufacturer and politician * David Stiff, professional cricketer * Samuel Sugden (1892–1950), Professor of

Physical Chemistry Physical chemistry is the study of macroscopic and microscopic phenomena in chemical systems in terms of the principles, practices, and concepts of physics such as motion, energy, force, time, thermodynamics, quantum chemistry, statistical mech ...

, Birkbeck College, London, 1932–1937, and Professor of

Chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules a ...

University College London University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...

, 1937–1950 * Theodore Cooke Taylor (1850–1952), Businessman, Liberal politician, Profit-sharing pioneer * Lawrence Tomlinson, businessman and philanthropist * Horace Waller VC (1896–1917),

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

Victoria Cross recipient * Lukas Wooller, keyboardist with the band Maxïmo Park * Thomas Wormald (1802–1873), surgeon

References

External links

Official website of Batley Grammar School
{{DEFAULTSORT:Batley Grammar School Free schools in Yorkshire Educational institutions established in the 1610s 1612 establishments in England Secondary schools in Kirklees Primary schools in Kirklees Batley

History

Notable Old Batelians

See also

References

External links